1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of preparing an isomerization catalyst comprising an alkali metal on a support. The isomerization catalyst so prepared is useful in isomerizing 5-vinyl-2-norbornene ("VNB") to 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene ("ENB"). ENB is used commercially in the production of elastomeric polymers and synthetic rubber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An isomerization catalyst prepared by contacting an alkali metal with a high surface area support material such as alumina is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,196. The contacting is accomplished by agitation under an atmosphere of inert gas. The agitation to disperse alkali metal on the support material described by the patent is stirring. A fluidized bed is used to treat that catalyst with oxygen. U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,382 describes dissolving an alkali metal in a solvent, for example a liquid ammonia, and spraying the solvent/alkali metal onto a carrier, for example alumina. The prior art does not describe dispersion of alkali metal onto supports utilizing a fluidized bed. The prior art methods of mechanically mixing alkali metal with supports and mixing using liquid solvents and/or slurries suffer from several disadvantages, including relatively long mixing times, uneven distribution of alkali metal on the support, breakage of the alumina particles (attrition), batches of catalyst that are relatively small and an inability to convert to a continuous process. These and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention.